Lamar

At a Glance: Name: Lamar – Meaning: the pool – Origin: Old French (Norman place name/surname) – Gender: Boy – Pronunciation: luh-MAR

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Lamar (pronounced luh-MAR) traces back to Old French, where it started as a Norman place name and surname. You'll often see it glossed online as meaning 'of the sea,' but that's not quite right — the documented root is 'la mare,' meaning 'the pool' or 'pond.' It's a name with real history behind it, even if that history is more humble than the sea-themed version suggests.

Meaning & Origin of Lamar

Meaning: The pool.

Origin: Old French (Norman place name/surname).

A common claim: Often glossed on baby-name sites as meaning 'of the sea' or 'the sea.' Actually: Not quite — the documented root is Old French 'la mare' ('the pool/pond'), a Norman place name, not a word for 'the sea.'

Source: Wiktionary, Wikipedia.

How to Pronounce Lamar

Phonetic: luh-MAR   IPA: /ləˈmɑːr/

Popularity of Lamar

Lamar peaked in 1980 at #314, when 611 baby boys were given the name. By 2024 it had fallen to #1515, with just 117 boys named Lamar that year.

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1882–2024.

Make Lamar Name Art

Free printable nursery art for Lamar, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.

Names With a Similar Story

Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.

• Boone
• Dax
• Roy
• Avril
• Belle
• Dashiell

FAQ

What does the name Lamar mean?

The pool. (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Lamar)

How do you pronounce Lamar?

Lamar is pronounced luh-MAR (IPA: /ləˈmɑːr/).

Is Lamar a popular name right now?

Lamar peaked at #314 in 1980 and is ranked #1515 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1882–2024.)

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